Spencer Rowell

Spencer Rowell

Rowell's images offer us an opportunity, as in psychoanalysis, to peel back the many layers, the narrative of the past, to reveal hidden knowledge that exists within us all. By incorporating his study of psychodynamic theory with his art and by way of articulating often-dark lonely spaces, he moves between the figurative and the abstract, maintaining a sense of disturbance that emanates from the work.

His practice has always been informed and inspired by other's own sense of reality. Rowell is fundamentally interested in issues of the sub-conscience and it's "outing", revealing the inner world in a deep and perceptive way.

1965

1966

Artist Statement

Photography not only records and event but also acts as a significant tool in the recollection of memory and in the expression of the unconscious. From the first picture of our birth, through adolescence and with the continued recording of significant events in our lives, we continue to use photography as a recording device. In later life, as we reproduce these events and reconcile the memories with the images, alternative realities may emerge. The rendering of this disparity between memory and image creates conflict and often leads to a questioning of truth and reality.